


Secret

by buckysknifecollection



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky and Yelena being actual children, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:02:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22544479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckysknifecollection/pseuds/buckysknifecollection
Summary: Sam and you kept your relationship secret, wanting some much needed privacy in a building full of nosy super heroes. Nobody suspects the two of you, except… everyone thinks you’re actually dating Bucky.
Relationships: Sam Wilson (Marvel) & Reader, Sam Wilson (Marvel)/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 56





	Secret

**Author's Note:**

> {{ This piece was reposted from my Tumblr blog }}
> 
> This was an entry for a writing challenge, my prompt was "And there it was, your biggest secret on the 10 o’clock news.“

Living at the Avengers Compound was probably one of the best perks of the job. Beautiful, high tech facilities, plenty of training ground and even more entertainment for those few boring days in between missions and other duties. It was great to have at least a handful of teammates around at all times, this way no one really ever felt lonely. The large amount of strong personalities (many of them with incredible abilities too) sometimes amounted to some tension, unusually not unlike high-school drama. Sometimes, you thought as you strolled down the hall towards the common kitchen, the place was more like a kindergarten than a house of heroes. 

"Y/N, collect your beast!” Yelena roared the moment she spotted you at the entrance. She was furiously wrestling Bucky on the couch, both their faces scrunched in childish anger and they swatted at each other like a pair of pissed off cats, not the trained assassins they both were. You only wanted a cup of coffee, maybe some fresh toast with jam, not to be pulled into their daily bickering fest. This time it seemed like they were fighting over the remote which you found completely pointless, since all electronics could be voice controlled through FRIDAY. 

“My beast?“ You raised a brow at the two demons fighting each other on the couch. 

"Aren’t you two dating?” Rhodey asked from his favourite brown velvet chair, situated just slightly to the side from the main cluster of couches (perfect for observation while keeping a healthy distance), a half finished cup of coffee in one hand, tablet opened on some article in the other. With his tablet propped on his crossed legs and complete disinterest in the two teammates making a ruckus on the couch next to him, he gave off the strongest Tired Dad Vibe you have ever witnessed. He even had glasses on, which you didn’t even know he needed. 

You sipped on your coffee and scoffed. “Nope." 

That was common misconception people had about yourself and Barnes. From the first moment the two of you met, something "clicked” between you two. That day it happened to be your elbow, which he, or rather the Winter Soldier, had dislocated during a fight. You weren’t one to hold grudges though, so once he was free of the mind control Hydra had him under, you became best friends. 

Of course, the team being nosy and starved for gossip to pass the time, assumed the two of you were at least fuck buddies. This has never been the case, but it didn’t stop that pesky rumour from leaking out to the public, resulting in people openly “shipping” the two of you and whole talk show episodes being dedicated to discussions of various public appearances the two of you would be bullied into by the team’s PR group. 

Somehow, not even your closest teammates have figured out the truth yet.

“I’ll pretend to believe you, just make them shut up, please.” His eyes didn’t move from his article, but you knew the man well enough to know when he was two minutes of patience away from summoning out the war suit. 

You sighed, walked over to the couch, then patted Bucky’s arm with back of your hand. “Come on, I’ve got Oreos in my room." 

Both Bucky and Yelena froze for a moment, her arm stretched back as far as it will go, remote clutched in her hand like her life depended on it. 

"This war isn’t over, _szczurze_.” Bucky growled and stood up, almost going back to wack the blonde for sticking her tongue at him. He followed you out of the room, the last thing you heard was some obnoxious reality show on tv and Rhodey groaning. 

[a/n: szczurze (polish; sh-CHOO-zhe) - you rat] 

*

“So, you’re not gonna tell anybody?” Bucky asked around a mouthful of Oreos, his usually blinding white teeth now covered in black crumbs. He looked like something you’d see in a painting - Dionysus lounging on silk pillows and indulging in juicy grapes. Except Bucky was spread across your bed like a lazy cat and was stuffing his face with cookies like there was no tomorrow. 

“Nah, we’re okay like this. For now at least.” You shrugged and devoured another mini peanut butter cup. 

“What about Sammy?” Bucky asked, black crumbs flying your way. You kicked his legs in retaliation for being nasty and he had the audacity to laugh, but at least he held a hand over his mouth. 

“ _What about Sammy?_ ” Echoed a voice from the door, where the man in topic had just arrived. Sam closed the door behind him, dropped his jacket on your desk chair and plopped down on the bed, head landing on your lap and hands already reaching for your candy. 

Sam Wilson was a sight you’d never get sick of. Dark jeans hugging his thick thighs perfectly and soft red sweater making his wide chest look like the most inviting pillow, which you were planning on testing out once Barnes leaves. 

“We were just talking about our secret relationship." 

It hasn’t been long since you started dating Sam, maybe a bit over two months. You adored Sam from the moment you had met him, completely smitten by his charming smile and confident personality, which was why when he randomly asked you out on a date, you didn’t hesitate even for a second. 

You never really planned on keeping your relationship a secret, but you didn’t exactly announce it to the team either. That was mostly to keep certain nosy people out of your personal lives and the fact that Bucky was the only person who knew about the two of you just sort of happened, too. He simply asked Sam once, while they were coming back from a mission, if the two of you were a thing and Sam, who was against keeping secrets from his best friend, spilled the beans immediately. Bucky was the best friend you could ask for, too. Not only did he not tell anyone else, but he even learned how to hack the surveillance cameras to make your sneaking around just that bit easier.

"Yeah, more specifically, I was wondering if you know people assume me and Y/N are dating.” As relaxed as Bucky seemed, you could tell he was worried his partner wouldn’t like that news. 

“You two?” Sam snickered, the mere idea of it hilarious to him. “I don’t know where they get that from." 

"I said the same thing to Rhodes and he didn’t believe me!” You threw your hands up in frustration, Bucky humming in agreement. 

Sam wriggled around until he was more comfortable, now basically draped over your legs like the warmest and sweetest blanket you could ever hope for. “I don’t mind sneaking around, at least for now. I like my peace and quiet and you know how nobody minds their own business around here.” He looked at Bucky pointedly, as he knew exactly what Sam meant. 

“Yeah, remember how you hooked up with the barista from downstairs and Lena wouldn’t get off your back?” You recalled, barely holding in your giggles at the memory. 

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Bucky visibly cringed. “Just wanted to make sure you two are okay. I’ll be going now.” He hauled himself off the bed with an exaggerated groan and went to the door. 

“Hey, I didn’t say you can keep that box! Gimme my cookies back!” You yelled after him, but with one final Nope, Bucky left, leaving the two of you alone. 

Now that the other half of the bed was free, Sam could spread out on it comfortably. You followed him as well, snuggling up to him and stealing the last piece of candy from him. 

“How was your morning, baby?" 

"Had I known taking over from Steve would involve this many boring meetings, I would’ve thrown the stupid shield in his wrinkly face.” Sam groaned. He hated briefings with passion, even more than filling out reports. At least he could listen to music when he worked on reports, and keep you in his lap as you helped him with the task. Or distracted him from it, depending on the day.

“Are you still going on that mission tonight?” You weren’t too happy about Sam needing to go intel hunting with Bucky later that night, much less that it was some sleazy bar on the outskirts of the city. It still gave you plenty of time to spend together and you already had it all planned out, though. 

“Yeah. Why?” Sam lifted his head off the mattress, curiously peeking at you from under his ridiculously pretty lashes. 

An evil grin spread on your face as you sat up. “How does my teddy bear feel about ice skating?”

*

“ _Here_.” The usually cheerful barista of the Compound’s cafeteria slammed your cup on the counter with a scowl. You were glad he had put a lid on it, or you would’ve been splashed with the scalding hot coffee. 

You had just come back from a week-long solo mission abroad and you were craving the Avengers’ signature extra strong coffee that would wake the dead, so you weren’t sure what have you done to deserve the wrath of the barista. Maybe he was just having a stressful day, or maybe his on-and-off relationship with Bucky wasn’t going so well. You’d be sure to ask him when you find him.

You did your usual stroll towards the residential buildings, looking around to see if anything interesting was happening or if anyone interesting was on grounds, but all you saw was random employees staring murder at you and whispering. You checked your clothing in case you had someone’s guts or blood on you, but no, you made sure to wear clean, normal clothes on your way back. You knew the Compound was a gossip farm, but something just didn’t sit well with you. 

In the common kitchen, occupying their usual spots on the bar stools, sat Bucky and Yelena. Bucky was laser focused on his plate of pancakes, while Yelena had her nose in her phone and sipping on a glass of juice.

“Your barista’s in a mood.” You plopped down next to Bucky and stole a blueberry off his plate. He turned to you with a confused look, then narrowed his eyes at the fruit your dared to steal.

“He’s probably mad that you two are trending.” Yelena said as if it was the most obvious answer.

Both your heads snapped to the blonde. “ _Who’s_ trending?”

Yelena took a few seconds to find whatever she was looking for, then turned the screen for the two of your to see. There, in a post with thousands of retweets and likes, was a picture of you and Bucky, in full battle gear that was covered in dust and grime. You’re not sure when the particular picture was taken, but in it you were both laughing, Bucky was bent in half from laughter and holding on to your shoulder. _Battle babes being goals_ 💖💕😍✨✨ read the description.

Bucky gaped at the screen while you squeaked out, “I’m sorry, what?!”

“You two have been trending all week. People even have a ship name for you.” Lena went on to inform you.

“What do you mean -”

“Hold on.” Bucky lifted a finger at you to pause your rant. “What’s the ship name again?”

Yelena looked at him like he was stupid. “Battle babes.”

“That doesn’t even make sense, we’re not in battle in that picture!” You argued. He looked at you with a face that read _Is that really what you’re mad about?_

Yelena, bored of the interaction already, hopped off her chair and headed for the door. “See ya later, Babes!” She called on her way out. 

You stared at Bucky with wide eyes. “You think Sam will be mad?" 

"Nah." 

“You sure? It’s never been this bad before.”

“Yep.” 

You narrowed your eyes at him. “How are you so sure?”

Bucky took a moment to take a bit of his food before it went completely cold. You kept staring him down until he swallowed and turned back to you. “Sam knows we’re not like that and he trusts us both.” The man shrugged. “If anything, he’ll be making fun of us.”

“No, he won’t.” You scoffed.

Bucky grinned at you, immediately noticing an easy target. “Wanna bet?”

*

Adrenaline was still pumping through your veins, even hours after you have returned from the mission, late at night. Sam was the same, wide awake and not really sure what to do with himself. You’ve tried everything - a relaxing bath, snacks, even a round in bed. And still, neither of you seemed to be able to fall asleep. Which was how you ended up in your favourite fast food joint at 3.35 am, empty disposable plates in a neat pile on your trays, only the half finished cups of drinks in front of you. 

Your thoughts were starting to get fuzzy as you blankly stared out the window at the dark parking lot. You could see Sam’s car just beyond the glass and a group of local teens laughing a few paces away. Sam was scrolling through his phone beside you, his palm warm and heavy on your thigh, the slow back-and-forth movement of his thumb took your mind off the plastic straw you were biting.

As the minutes ticked by, you thought that maybe you were ready to finally sleep. If you headed back to the Compound and went to bed upon arrival, you’d probably end up waking up just in to time for lunch.

Sam cleared his throat, yanking you out of your unnecessary calculations. “So… Battle babes?”

You whipped around to look at him, not believing you heard him right. You were met with one of his arched eyebrows and a grin he was fighting from showing. You felt all energy leave you at once.

“Noooooo….” You whined, slowly lowering your head down on the table, so your forehead was met with the cool surface. Sam cackled like the teasing bastard he was and kept scrolling through Twitter, saving a funny picture of you here and there, for later use.

“I think Grumpy Cats is better.” He informed you, as if the “ship name” for you and Bucky was even up for discussion.

“Thanks a lot, Sam.” You hissed at him, shoving his hand off your thigh. “Now I owe Barnes a fifty.”

“Fifty? For what?” Sam wondered, pocketing his phone and giving you his full attention.

“We made a bet if you’d make fun of us, and I thought that no way would my loving boyfriend make fun of me.” No, you were absolutely sure that he would tease you mercilessly the moment he found out, but you were planning on guilting him into maybe having some mercy after all.

“Aw, babe…” He scooted close enough for your sides to be pressed together, his arm finding its favourite place on your waist. You felt him kiss your shoulder, then your ear. “You know your loving boyfriend will always tease you.” His fingers danced at your side, making you squeak and try to jerk away at the tickling feeling. “You like it when I tease you.” He pointed out.

“When I told you I like your teasing, I meant the sexy stuff, Sammy.” You corrected him, lifting your head off the table to steal a kiss.

“Sexy stuff? What sexy stuff?” He tickled you again, the laughter you couldn’t keep in bringing the cashier’s attention to you. You squirmed out of Sam’s hold and grabbed your jacket and bag. 

“Why don’t we go back home and I’ll show you?” Big dumb grin on his face, Sam followed you to the car. Maybe you’d wake up by the time for dinner, after all.

*

The sun was brutal, too bright for your sensitive eyes and your aching head, unpleasantly warm on your skin. Bundled in your softest sweats and your biggest pair of sunglasses nestled on your nose, you entered the unusually quiet kitchen. The dining table was packed with people, each of them busy with their food or phones. Or, in Yelena’s case, both. 

The mission you came back from the night before was brutal too. Too many sleepless nights, too many hours spent in the cold and as if that wasn’t enough to exhaust you, the fight that brought the thugs you were chasing to justice was long and painful. You were bruised and half your body was covered in bandages and all you wanted was your chocolate granola and some ice cold milk to heal your soul. 

You set the milk carton next to your favourite bowl and opened the cereal cabinet only to find that your granola was nowhere to be seen. You moved a few boxes around, took everything out, put it back in its place. You were sure you still had at least half a bag left, but it seemed to have disappeared. 

“Yelena, did you eat my granola?” You asked without turning around to face the blonde, who only scoffed and continued ignoring everyone around her. No, you knew Yelena hated granola. That left one possible culprit who would dare touch food with your name on it.

You located him quickly, sat quietly on the floor directly in front of the muted television. On the coffee table in front of him was a half eaten bowl of cereal, a carton of that disgusting soy milk he liked and the box of your chocolate granola.

You stomped over to him, careful not to make too much noise in your fit of rage, so that you don’t wake up Sam, who was sprawled on the sofa, his half eaten breakfast forgotten on the table. His adorable face almost distracted you enough to let Bucky’s crime slide, but when the man had the audacity to smile up at you, mouth full of your beloved granola, you saw red.

“How fucking dare you eat my food?! How many times do I have to tell you not to touch my fucking food, Barnes?!” You scolded him, but he seemed unfazed. 

“Ooooh… Lover’s quarrel.” Clint commented and you were just about to throw a shoe at him but you remembered you were only wearing your fuzzy socks. 

“Shut up, Clint. We’re not lovers.” You hissed at him, just as Alpine, whom you haven’t noticed in Bucky’s lap earlier, hissed at you.

“Did you just _hiss_ at me? Who do you think you are?” You demanded, as if the fluffy feline could even defend itself against you.

“Hey, don’t talk to him like that, he’s a baby.” Bucky complained. “Look, I’ll go out in a bit and buy you three boxes.” He held out his fist in a sign of peace.

You groaned in frustration and stomped your feet, but Bucky still waited. You were too tired to be angry for much longer, you just wanted to curl up somewhere and sleep more.

“Four.” You bumped your fist against his and trudged back to the kitchen to make yourself some toast instead.

“Uh….. Y/N?” You heard Bucky call after a few minutes. You turned towards the living room to find him pointing a finger at the screen in front of him, eyes wide and mouth opened in an “o” like a stressed out fish.

You looked from him to the screen **_and there it was, your biggest secret on the 10 o’clock news._**

Right above the angry red banner reading “Avengers Cheating Scandal” was a candid but admittedly very pretty shot of yourself and Sam, his arms around your waist and his lips on yours. You realised the picture must have been taken during your ice skating date a few weeks back.

For a paparazzi picture, it was stunning. The fairy lights blending into a soft hue around the two of you, shining a warm light on your little moment. Your face wasn’t visible clearly, but you couldn’t be mistaken for anyone else. Your arms were rested on Sam’s chest, your baby blue gloves matching perfectly with his scarf. The way the corner of his lips was tilted up as he kissed you was adorable and he looked so handsome you forgot for a second that you were just announced a cheater on national television. 

You made a mental note to download that very picture before you have the PR team deal with this mess.

Now, truth be told, the two of you never really shied away from dates in public places, so you were dumbfounded that it took the press over three months to catch on. You would drag Sam to every quirky cafe you could find and he would take you to see every movie that piqued your interest. You have no idea how no one snapped a shot of the two of you making out at literally every cinema in the area. Hell, you’ve even kissed in a stadium full of sports fans and no one cared.

While you were going through a mild crisis, with the entire team’s glares burning holes in your back, Sam wasn’t aware of anything that was happening around him. He was still slumped on the couch, his head tilted back, soft snores leaving his lips and Alpine opted to curl up in his lap now instead of Bucky’s.

The news presenter was talking heatedly, which made you curious as to what was she saying. “FRIDAY, turn up the volume.”

“ - _Unacceptable_! These are the people our children look up to! And this is the type of example they are setting for future generations! Shamelessly cheating in public! I cannot -” The woman’s voice was cut short when Bucky switched to a different channel, now showing a documentary on foxes. You watched for a few seconds, jaw dropped as low as it would go, as a white arctic fox slammed its body into a pile of snow, similarly to how you now wanted to slam yourself into your bed and never emerge again.

“Aren’t you gonna say something?” Yelena demanded, completely baffled and scandalised by the situation unfolding in front of her. You glanced back on the rest of your team as they stared you down with varying levels of disbelief and shock in their eyes.

“Well…” You looked to Bucky for any help, but he only shrugged, unbothered. It’s not like you did anything wrong, really. “I never said I was dating _Bucky_.” You pointed out.

You scurried away to where Sam was peacefully sleeping, the loud debate at the dining table echoing behind you, but you paid it no mind, only curling up at your boyfriend’s side. In his sleep, Sam instinctively pulled you closer, his arms secure around your middle and his head now resting on your shoulder. 

“What’s the noise?” He wondered, annoyed that his slumber was interrupted. Bucky shot a look at the others, who seemed utterly unaware that none of you cared about their reaction. He whistled loudly, silencing everyone immediately, then continued eating.

“Nothing, baby.” You kissed his forehead and let him get comfortable, your own arms resting on his back, where your drew patterns over his hoodie. “Just watching some foxes on tv.”

“Mhm, noisy foxes.” Sam mumbled, already asleep again before the last work left his lips.

You were absolutely certain this situation would be one big PR hell for the three of you and probably Pepper and you would definitely deal with it as soon as possible, but first you really needed a nap, now even more than earlier. You knew with Bucky sitting next to you and guarding your peace, you could count on a couple more hours of sleep before you have to face the world again. But first, you pulled out your phone and dived into the world of social media to hunt down that cute picture.


End file.
